The artist, Myles Birket Foster, who was usually known by his second name, lived in the village of Witley, near Godalming, Surrey, where this sign hung outside the village inn, the White Hart. Attracted by the rural setting, Birket Foster orginally rented a cottage in Witley for a family holiday in 1860 and then bought about twenty acres of land nearby to build his own house, The Hill. This was furnished with furniture, tiles and stained glass supplied by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.

Birket Foster specialised in landscapes and views of rural life, particularly those inspired by the unspoilt countryside around Witley. Although he is known mainly for his watercolours, he also painted in oil, the medium used for this inn sign. It was apparently re-painted by him and by Alfred W. Cooper, a family friend, about 1875 and the Museum purchased it from the owner of the inn in 1938.